


Hear Me

by joannereads



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:02:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24649927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joannereads/pseuds/joannereads
Summary: Yet another post of a tumblr ficlet. It's a little something sweet, if not wordy. Post liver transplant, pre-Kono's exit.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 12
Kudos: 73





	Hear Me

Danny's eyes drift across Steve's backyard towards the ocean, where Kono is happily splashing about with Grace and Charlie. They are all laughing delightedly and there's a relaxed air around them. Danny has missed this. For months it seems that everything has been difficult, or painful, or just an uphill struggle. 

"Hey buddy," Steve greets him as he sits down in the white Adirondack chair beside him. Back up on the lanai, Danny can hear Lou and his wife laughing about something, Chin and Abby joining in while Jerry tries to understand the joke. Ohana. He always thought he knew what that meant but it's only now, in this moment of laughter, that he understands. 

"You okay?" Steve asks quietly, pressing a palm to Danny's knee as he continues to stare out toward the horizon. "Yeah." He can't find any more words than that right now because his heart is full.   
"Listen, man, I just want to thank you. For everything."   
Danny is confused and he pulls his eyes away from his amazing children and focuses on the child he works with. Okay. That's a little unfair. Steve isn't a child. He is one fucked up individual, but without him there wouldn't be a Five O ohana.   
"You want to clarify? I mean, everything is a pretty huge word. After all, I didn't do anything huge recently. Oh wait!" he continues, slapping his palms together, "I only saved your life."   
"Yeah, you did. But not just by giving me part of your liver, man." Steve's voice is soft and it's strange, because Danny knows that Steve can be sensitive to others-it's just rarely directed at him.   
"Again with the cryptic stuff. What do you mean, McGarrett?" Steve waves towards where Kono and the kids are playing, his hands a flappy randomness buzzing with energy.   
"Family, Danny," he finally adds. "You share this with me. I'm lucky to have gotten to watch Gracie grow and I'm grateful you let me be a part of it." Danny slaps Steve's shoulder and laughs. He sips at the juice - he misses beer, and coffee, mostly coffee - that fills his pint glass and looks back out over the water. 

"You know, we're pretty lucky to have you as well, goof," Danny smiles. "Be nice if you showed it a little more though. This, us, we've not been so great."   
"You don't hear me," Steve says softly, his words barely a whisper on the wind.   
"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny asks, and he can feel his anger bubbling. "What do you say that I don't hear? I hear you complain about procedure! I hear you moan about my driving! I hear you bash my love of Bon Jovi and decent pizza! I hear you make stupid decisions that endanger my life! I heard you order me to jump off a fucking roof!" Danny is breathless, his rant consuming him. He gasps in heavy breaths and tries to calm himself down. "I hear you talk about how you're worried about Kame's blood pressure. I hear you worry about your sister and little Joanie all the way over in LA on their own. I hear you worry that Kono misses Adam so much it makes her reckless. I hear you talk about Lynn, and how your dates go, and I see your swagger when she stays over. I hear you when you ask me to be someone I'm not just so we can get along better." Danny's heart aches. He hadn't expected to let that all pour from him. Damn the meds he's taking for making him emotional and loopy. He cried at a goddamn advert three nights ago so he knows something is messing with his emotions. 

"When you jumped, you didn't hear me when I told you I loved you." Steve's voice breaks a little on the last word and Danny's gaze whips around quickly to see Steve's pale face. The other man swallows a little, wringing his fingers as he watches Danny's ever changing expression. Danny, to his credit, doesn't say a word. Not because he doesn't want to, but because he has no idea where this is going. "Things between us have been wrong for a while. We both know it. The arguments a little sharper, a little more bitter, the words more cutting. I've been pushing you away." Steve is shaking now and Danny reaches out, places his hands over Steve's and waits him out. Steve draws a couple of breaths before switching their hands around so that he is holding Danny's instead. "I need you to listen, Danny, and really hear me." His eyes stare into Danny's, who can only nod at the request, swallowing against a sudden bout of dry mouth. "I like Lynn, she's outgoing and fun and likes a lot of what I do, but she isn't you. She doesn't challenge me, she doesn't make me breathless. She doesn't give of herself endlessly, like you do. But you were with Melissa-are with Melissa-and I had to try and move on. I tried with Cath, but she would rather lie to me and put herself in danger than be with me. I let her go and I needed to let you go too. But I can't. I don't know how. You are in my thoughts even when you aren't around. I need you to listen, to really hear me this time. I love you. I can't pretend I don't anymore. I won't pretend." 

Steve stops speaking abruptly and Danny swallows again, painfully aware that Steve needs a response. It's just, he never thought this might happen. Steve was always so driven, his career and his commitment to Five-0 the most important things in his life. But apparently not. 

"Shit. Say something please." Steve's eyes are red rimmed and wet and Danny isn't so worried any more-not about them, not about this. "I hear you," he smiles, before pressing a soft kiss to Steve's mouth. Behind them, the rest of their ohana breaks into spontaneous applause, and he's pretty sure Lou says something about it being about damn time. 

Danny really doesn't care.


End file.
